US Asks NATO Countries To Withdraw From International Criminal Court: Report

The United States has asked its NATO allies to help dismantle the International Criminal Court (ICC) and withdraw from the court's founding treaty, the Rome Statute, according to reports.

The US NATO mission also circulated a document to the alliance's delegations, urging them to take immediate steps to withdraw from the Rome Statute. The paper reportedly said that the US would "systematically dismantle" the ICC's capabilities.

Washington also asked NATO members to examine what it described as the threat posed by the ICC to their countries, publicly criticise what it called the court's "overreach" and stop providing material support to it.

"Let us end the charade of the ICC once and for all," the document obtained by Politico read. 

NATO itself is not a member of the ICC. However, all NATO countries except the US and Turkey are members of the court.

The demand was made during a closed-door meeting of NATO's 32 ambassadors in Brussels in July. US envoy Matthew Whitaker reportedly asked member countries to leave the ICC.

Whitaker told the allies, "We will be watching closely who stands with America," Jerusalem Post reported.

Two NATO diplomats described Whitaker's comments as "quite shocking" and "disappointing". France and the Netherlands defended the ICC during the meeting and said that they did not support the US position. Washington last month also sanctioned senior ICC officials, including ICC President Tomoko Akane.

The campaign against the ICC was launched this summer by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He has accused the court of interfering with US sovereignty.

In July, Rubio said the ICC and its supporters were using international laws and agreements to challenge America's sovereignty. He warned that the US would respond strongly if the court tried to limit its freedom of action.

The ICC was established in 2002 to prosecute people accused of serious international crimes, including genocide and war crimes. The court last investigated allegations involving US officials in 2020, when it opened a probe into alleged war crimes by American soldiers in Afghanistan. The investigation was later given lower priority.

The ICC has also faced calls to investigate alleged US drug-related attacks on boats in the Caribbean.

The ICC dispute comes at a difficult time for NATO. Relations between the US and several European members have already been strained over issues including the US war in Iran and President Donald Trump's threats over Greenland.